The best way to describe Hello Games’ creation, that mild mannered stunt rider called Joe Danger, would be to think of some crazy mix up between Trials HD and Excitebike. I feel that unlike most other reviews that I do that waffle on for about 5 minutes about how this and that have something to do with something else which inevitably leads me to the start of proceedings, I would just get down to business and get on with telling you exactly what to expect and enjoy with this title. Please allow me to retort.
The main story to this is that Joe is a washed-up old has been who is told by almost all of his fans and the media that his day has gone, vowing that he’ll never reach those dizzy heights ever again. Whenever someone is told that, ESPECIALLY in cheesy feel good movies, they rally together with some high impact orchestra doing their stuff behind them and as reliable as night turns to day, you find the main man being his old self again. Well, it’s pretty much the same here. You are Mr Danger and you’re having one last shot at being the king of the jumps again.
There is a lot more than jumping on offer though. As you progress through the game itself you begin to see just how many little bits and bobs are attainable. Letters spelling your surname are plastered all over the place, there are coins and stars to collect, targets to nail, as well as time limits and combos to work towards. All of these, when successfully gotten, will give you stars that can unlock further levels.
There are plenty of them to keep you going for a few days it has to be said, but the beauty of Joe Danger is that it also has a level editor to make your own crazy stages to share with friends, so the longevity is certainly not in question. The only annoyance is that when you consider this console to be the home of the “play, create, share” ethos of LittleBigPlanet you have to wonder why it doesn’t allow everyone to share levels with everyone else in the world besides your mates.
It does have a children’s game feel about it, but in a good way. It takes away from the slight hint of seriousness that Trials HD was aiming for, and in its place gives us a genuine feeling of cheeky enjoyment as you watch Joe ragdoll his veteran ass all over the place with hilarious consequences. It does bring a smile rather easily to your face, as if to say that it is such a clever little game that it can do it with hardly any effort. Worst thing is it’s got every right to be like that, as the levels just feel like such a joy to go through repeatedly, which for a style of game that has you going through similar sections on a regular basis just to get an extra star is a very rare occurrence.
There are other things to concern yourself about too as you make your way across the levels. The Excitebike part of Joe Danger means that you have three lanes that you can change to and from by means of the lane movers that appear in later levels. Whichever way you go can be mostly up to you, but some force you to go in a set direction. Once you get to know where they are it can be easier, but when you’re caught in a combo moment and forget you can suffer from expletive syndrome, trust me.
The music is a little hit and miss. It’s not that the tunes are bad, as they’re very funky and give the game this 70’s vibe and add to the coolness of Joe Danger, but the amount of audio tracks aren’t that many, so you can be hearing the same one often and that is a shame. Think of when U2 released Vertigo and when it was played over every radio station for what seemed like an eternity. You began to hate it, didn’t you? Well, this is a bit like that, but while fresh they are really good.
Joe Danger can be played as a single player grab-fest or a multiplayer racing bonanza, but the inclusion of leaderboards for each level is like catnip, as you really feel that overwhelming desire to get one up on your friends. But be warned, some scores can get wildly out of control and it will take a constant tally of tricks, wheelies and flips to get anywhere near them.
The tricks themselves are easy to pull off and don’t get in the way of the A to B style of the levels too much, but do edge onto that side of having enough skill to pull them off whilst doing other things simultaneously. The wheelies are easy to achieve and keep, but bunny hops and a hidden star can act as distractions, so be careful.
The result of all of this work is an enjoyable and classy game with a simple premise and equally simple controls, but with that hidden danger of becoming addictive without you realising it, and these are usually the best kinds of game to have. The more people that get this, the better chance of having people on your friends list that can make up stages to outfox you. This is the equivalent of Trials HD on Xbox LIVE and will be up there in the top 10 downloadable titles this year, easily. The limit on user created, and downloaded, stages is its only gripe, but other that that you have to say that Joe Danger is a nauseating height above the masses in terms of quality and substance from many other games on the PlayStation Store.
Oh yeah, and just to answer the question of why I jumped straight in at the start of this review, well, it’s that much fun to play I wanted to give you no excuse to hurry over to the PSN and download it.
VideogameUK verdict: 9/10
